An academy for growth and guidance

The importance of festivals for our children

India, known as the land of festivals, is now changing with each generation seeing a tremendous decrease in the effort that goes into celebrating festivals through the year. What used to commence with sweets and end with the family laughing together, has now been reduced to “big discounts”, “festive sale” and “bumper offers”. Festivals are now seen as a time to take a “long weekend” off, to plan a quick getaway or a road trip with friends.

Tracing back to our childhood, didn’t the concept of festivals and celebrations play an important role? The customary festive aroma in the house early in the morning, the joy of wearing crisp, new clothes, the array of delicacies adorning the dining table and of course the cheerful banter that echoed in homes. Are our children missing out on all of the above? Of course, they are steering clear of religion discrimination and the concept of idol worship. But is the vow to keep our children away from religion and its rigidity, somewhere taking away the innocence of festivities that we thoroughly enjoyed in our days?

Perhaps, it’s time to bring back the enthusiasm of celebrating festivals, keeping it simple, relevant and free from rigidity in any form. Keeping the spirit of festivity alive, above all, is essential. Children test their imagination to celebrate festivals, learn various aspects of culture and the country’s history; all of which is helpful for the child’s development at a holistic level. The focus could be reading “shlokas” or memorizing prayer songs, or could also be to experience the country’s culture ; but most importantly , to understand the essence of coming together under one roof and celebrating something common to everyone. The festivals could vary from home-to-home, nevertheless, each child benefits in his/her own way from its celebration.

Festivals have always been synonymous with togetherness and joy; forwarding that emotion to the next generation is vital. Moreover, in a world that has been taken over by technology, festivals could act as an excuse to let those gadgets take a spot in the corner, while the center space of your home is filled with people and laughter!